CN112486162A

CN112486162A - Vehicle remote indication system

Info

Publication number: CN112486162A
Application number: CN202010949439.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 岩本贵之; 大泷翔
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2019-09-12
Filing date: 2020-09-10
Publication date: 2021-03-12
Also published as: JP2021043788A; JP7234872B2; US20210080943A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle remote instruction system including a remote autonomous vehicle and a remote instruction device for a remote commander to perform remote instruction, the vehicle remote instruction system including: a remote instruction request receiving unit that receives a remote instruction request; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a point at which the remote autonomous vehicle has transmitted the remote instruction request; a request occurrence point determination unit that determines, based on the acquired remote instruction request and the position information, a point at which the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency; and a passing detour point setting unit that sets a point at which the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle.

Description

Vehicle remote indication system

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle remote instruction system that remotely instructs a remote autonomous vehicle from a remote instruction device.

Background

For example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2018-77649 describes a vehicle remote instruction system including a remote autonomous vehicle that performs autonomous driving that automatically travels along a predetermined travel path and remote driving that travels based on a remote instruction from a remote commander (commander), and a remote instruction device for a remote commander to perform remote instruction based on a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle.

Disclosure of Invention

In the vehicle remote instruction system described above, when a remote instruction request frequently occurs, the load of the remote commander increases.

Therefore, in the art, it is desirable to provide a vehicle remote instruction system capable of suppressing the passage (passing) of a remote autonomous vehicle through a place where a remote instruction request occurs, so that the load of a remote commander can be suppressed.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle remote instruction system including a remote autonomous vehicle and a remote instruction device, the remote autonomous vehicle performing autonomous driving in which the remote autonomous vehicle automatically travels along a travel path set based on map information and remote driving in which the remote autonomous vehicle travels based on a remote instruction from a remote commander, the remote instruction device being a device in which the remote commander performs remote instruction based on a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle, the vehicle remote instruction system including: a remote instruction request receiving unit that receives a remote instruction request; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a point at which the remote autonomous vehicle has transmitted the remote instruction request; a request occurrence point determination unit that determines a point at which the frequency (frequency) at which a remote instruction request is transmitted is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency, based on the remote instruction request received by the remote instruction request reception unit and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; and a passing detour point setting unit that sets a point at which the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle.

The vehicle remote instruction system can set a point where the frequency of remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle. In this way, the vehicle remote instruction system can suppress the occurrence of a remote instruction request when the remote autonomous vehicle passes through a point by setting a passing-by detour point. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system can suppress the load on the remote commander.

The vehicle remote instruction system may further include a route generation unit that generates a travel route avoiding the passing detour point as the travel route of the remote autonomous vehicle based on the passing detour point set by the passing detour point setting unit and the map information. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system can cause the remote autonomous vehicle to travel by autonomous driving avoiding the passing-by point where the frequency of remote instruction requests is high. In this way, the vehicle remote instruction system can suppress remote instruction by the remote commander and can cause the remote autonomous vehicle to travel by autonomous driving.

The vehicle remote instruction system may further include: a remote instruction reason collection unit that collects reasons for sending a remote instruction request; and a notification unit that notifies the occupants (driver, passenger) of the remote autonomous vehicle of the reason for sending the remote instruction request at the point set as the passing-by point, based on the reason collected by the remote instruction reason collection unit. In this case, the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle can recognize the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing point, that is, the reason why the remote instruction request is set to pass the passing point.

In the vehicle remote instruction system, the detour point setting unit may cancel the setting as the passing detour point when the vehicle is in a state where the remote autonomous vehicle can pass through the detour point by autonomous driving. In this case, the vehicle remote instruction system can appropriately cancel the setting of the passing point.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the load on the remote commander by suppressing the remote autonomous vehicle from passing through the point where the remote instruction request is generated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing the overall situation of the vehicle remote instruction system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the remote instruction server.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote instruction device.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of setting of the target route (route).

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which a remote instruction request is made.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of setting of a target route avoiding passing by a detour point.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of setting of a target route avoiding passing by a detour point.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing a target route and a reason why a remote instruction request is transmitted at a detour point.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of setting a passing-by detour point by the remote instruction server.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing detour point performed in the vehicle remote instruction system.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a process flow of generating a target route and managing the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle performed in the vehicle remote instruction system.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote instruction device according to modification 1 in which the setting of the detour point is cancelled.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user terminal.

Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server.

Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote instruction device according to modification 2 in which the setting of the detour point is cancelled.

Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the observation device.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server.

Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the observation device in the modification.

Fig. 20 is a view showing the overall situation of the vehicle remote instruction system according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle.

Fig. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote instruction device.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

(embodiment 1)

First, embodiment 1 of the vehicle remote instruction system will be described. Fig. 1 is a view showing the overall situation of the vehicle remote instruction system according to embodiment 1. The vehicle remote instruction system 100 shown in fig. 1 is a system in which a remote commander R performs remote instruction for a remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote instruction refers to an instruction of the remote commander R related to the travel judgment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The remote indication comprises at least one of the following: an instruction to start a right turn at an intersection (intersection), an instruction to start entering at an intersection provided with a traffic signal (traffic light), an instruction to start entering at an intersection with poor visibility, an instruction to start a lane change, an instruction to start avoidance of an offset (offset) with respect to a front obstacle, and emergency evacuation. In a country or region where the vehicle passes to the right, the instruction to start the left turn at the intersection can be replaced with the instruction to start the right turn at the intersection. An intersection with poor visibility is an intersection in which it is difficult to visually recognize the state of a road that intersects due to a wall or the like when the intersection is about to enter. Intersections with poor visibility are registered in advance in map information, for example. Whether or not the intersection is a poor visibility intersection may be determined based on the direction of entry of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the intersection.

The offset avoidance with respect to the front obstacle refers to, for example, when there is a parked vehicle that is parked by the roadside in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 travels so as to temporarily overtake the adjacent lane or the oncoming lane in order to avoid the parked vehicle. The parking vehicle in this case is not limited to a four-wheeled vehicle, and may be a two-wheeled vehicle. The front obstacle may be a bicycle, a personal mobility tool (personal mobility), a pedestrian, or the like, or may be in motion. The emergency evacuation is control for automatically evacuating the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to an evacuation space such as a shoulder of a road. The evacuation space is set in advance on a map, for example. The remote commander R selects the remote instruction of the emergency evacuation when recognizing an abnormality of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 or when recognizing an abnormality of the occupant, for example.

In addition to this, the remote instruction may include an instruction for starting the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in the parking state. The remote instruction may also include an instruction to take off the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in a case where a pedestrian or the like is detected in the periphery of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in the stopped state. The remote instruction may include an instruction related to getting on/off of the occupant (for example, an instruction to automatically open/close a door or an instruction to start voice guidance for getting off) for the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

(constitution of vehicle remote indication System)

As shown in fig. 1, a vehicle remote instruction system 100 includes a remote instruction device 1 for a remote commander R to input a remote instruction. The remote instruction device 1 is connected to a plurality of remote autonomous vehicles 2 via a network N so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network N is a wireless communication network. Various kinds of information are transmitted from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the remote instruction device 1.

In the vehicle remote instruction system 100, the remote commander R is requested to input a remote instruction, for example, in accordance with a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote commander R inputs a remote instruction to the commander interface 3 of the remote instruction device 1. The remote instruction device 1 transmits a remote instruction to the remote autonomous vehicle 2 through the network N. The remote automatic driving vehicle 2 automatically travels according to the remote instruction.

In the vehicle remote instruction system 100, the number of the remote commander R may be one person or two or more persons. The number of the remote autonomous vehicles 2 that can communicate with the vehicle remote instruction system 100 is not particularly limited. The remote instruction to one remote autonomous vehicle 2 may be performed alternately by a plurality of remote commanders R, or may be performed by one remote commander R to two or more remote autonomous vehicles 2.

(constitution of remote autopilot vehicle)

First, an example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 will be described. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote automated driving vehicle 2 shown in fig. 2 performs automated driving that automatically travels along a target route (travel path) set based on map information, and remote driving that travels based on a remote instruction from the remote commander R.

The remote autonomous vehicle 2 may also be used for passenger delivery services that send passengers to destinations, for example. The remote autonomous vehicle 2 may also be an autonomous bus, for example. Additionally, for example, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may also be used for delivery services that deliver packages to delivery destinations. In the present embodiment, the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is managed by the remote instruction device 1, for example. Here, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 automatically travels to the destination according to the target route instructed from the remote instruction device 1. The indication of the target route from the remote indication device 1 may include information on a lane in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 travels.

For example, the remote automated driving vehicle 2 includes an automated driving ECU 20. The automatic driving ECU20 is an electronic control unit having a cpu (central Processing unit), a rom (read Only memory), a ram (random Access memory), and the like. In the automated driving ECU20, for example, various functions are realized by loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM by the CPU. The automated driving ECU20 may be constituted by a plurality of electronic control units.

The automatic driving ECU20 is connected to a gps (global Positioning system) receiving unit 21, an external sensor 22, an internal sensor 23, a map database 24, a communication unit 25, an actuator (actuator)26, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 27.

The GPS receiving unit 21 receives signals from 3 or more GPS satellites to measure the position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (for example, the latitude and longitude of the remote autonomous vehicle 2). The GPS receiving unit 21 transmits the measured position information of the remote automated driving vehicle 2 to the automated driving ECU 20.

The external sensor 22 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the external environment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The external sensor 22 sends the detected detection information to the automated driving ECU 20. The external sensor 22 includes a plurality of sensors that detect an external environment. Specifically, the external sensor 22 includes at least a camera (camera) as a sensor. The camera is a photographing device that photographs the external environment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The camera is provided, for example, on the rear side of the front windshield of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, and photographs the front of the vehicle. The camera transmits a captured image relating to the external environment of the remote automated driving vehicle 2 to the automated driving ECU 20. The camera can be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. In addition, a plurality of cameras are provided to photograph all or at least a part of the periphery of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, such as the left and right sides and the rear, in addition to the front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The external sensor 22 may also include a radar sensor as a sensor. The radar sensor is a detection device that detects an object around the remote autonomous vehicle 2 using electric waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. The radar sensor includes, for example, a radar (millimeter wave radar) or a Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging as a sensor. The radar sensor detects an object by transmitting an electric wave or light to the periphery of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and receiving an electric wave or light reflected by the object. The radar sensor transmits the detected object information to the automated driving ECU 20. The object includes a fixed object such as a guardrail and a building, and also includes a moving object such as a pedestrian, a bicycle and other vehicles. A plurality of radar sensors are provided, and all or at least a part of the surroundings of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is a detection target. In addition, the external sensor 22 may include a sonar sensor that emits a sound wave to the periphery of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and detects the sound wave reflected by an obstacle or the like.

The internal sensor 23 is an in-vehicle sensor that detects the running state of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The interior sensors 23 include a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate (yaw rate) sensor. The vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. As the vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor provided for a wheel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheel, or the like, that detects the rotation speed of each wheel can be used. The vehicle speed sensor sends detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the automated driving ECU 20.

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects the acceleration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a front-rear acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the front-rear direction of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor may also include a lateral acceleration sensor that detects the lateral acceleration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor sends, for example, acceleration information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the autonomous ECU 20. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) of the vertical axis around the center of gravity of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. As the yaw rate sensor, for example, a gyro sensor can be used. The yaw rate sensor sends the detected yaw rate information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the autonomous ECU 20.

The map database 24 is a database in which map information is recorded. The map database 24 is formed in a recording device such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) mounted on the remote autonomous vehicle 2, for example. The map information includes position information of roads, information of road shapes (for example, curvature information), position information of intersections and branch points, and the like. The map information may also include traffic regulation information such as a legal maximum speed (speed limit) associated with the position information. The map information may include target object information for acquiring position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. As the target object, a road sign, a road surface sign, a traffic signal, a utility pole, or the like can be used. The map database 24 may be constituted by a server capable of communicating with the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The communication portion 25 is a communication device that controls wireless communication with the outside of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The communication unit 25 transmits and receives various information to and from the remote instruction device 1 (remote instruction server 10) via the network N.

The actuator 26 is a device used to control the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The actuators 26 include at least a drive actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator. The drive actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening) in accordance with a control signal from the automated driving ECU20, and controls the driving force of the remote automated driving vehicle 2. Further, in the case where the remote automated driving vehicle 2 is a hybrid vehicle, the driving force is controlled by inputting a control signal from the automated driving ECU20 to a motor as a power source in addition to the supply amount of air to the engine. When the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle, the driving force is controlled by inputting a control signal from the autonomous ECU20 to a motor as a power source. The motor as a power source in these cases constitutes the actuator 26.

The brake actuator controls the brake system in accordance with a control signal from the automated driving ECU20, controlling the braking force applied to the wheels of the remote automated driving vehicle 2. As the brake system, for example, a hydraulic brake system can be used. The steering actuator controls driving of an assist motor that controls steering torque in the electric power steering system in accordance with a control signal from the autopilot ECU 20. Thereby, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The HMI27 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and the occupant. The HMI27 includes, for example, a display, a speaker, and the like. The HMI27 performs image output from a display and voice output from a speaker according to a control signal from the autopilot ECU 20.

Next, an example of the functional configuration of the automated driving ECU20 will be described. The automated driving ECU20 includes a vehicle position acquisition unit 31, an external environment recognition unit 32, a travel state recognition unit 33, a remote instruction request determination unit (remote instruction request unit) 34, a travel track (advancing road, direction) generation unit 35, an automated driving control unit 36, a notification control unit 37, and a passage determination unit 38.

The vehicle position acquisition unit 31 acquires the position information (position on the map) of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the position information of the GPS reception unit 21 and the map information of the map database 24. The vehicle position acquisition unit 31 may acquire the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology using the target object information included in the map information of the map database 24 and the detection result of the external sensor 22. The vehicle position acquisition unit 31 may recognize the lateral position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 with respect to the lane (the position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in the lane width direction) based on the positional relationship between the lane line of the lane and the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and include the lateral position in the lane in the positional information. In addition, the vehicle position acquisition unit 31 may acquire the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by a known method.

The vehicle position acquisition unit 31 can transmit the acquired position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the remote instruction server 10 via the communication unit 25.

The external environment recognition unit 32 recognizes the external environment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the external sensor 22. The external environment includes the relative position of the surrounding objects with respect to the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The external environment may also include the relative speed and direction of movement of the surrounding objects relative to the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The external environment may also include the type of other vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. The type of the object can be identified by a known method such as pattern matching. The external environment may also include the result of lane line recognition (white line recognition) around the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The external environment may also include the recognition result of the lighting state of the traffic signal. The external environment recognition unit 32 can recognize, for example, a lighting state (whether a lighting state is a passable lighting state or a passable lighting state, or the like) of a traffic signal in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on an image of the camera of the external sensor 22.

The running state recognition unit 33 recognizes the running state of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the internal sensor 23. The running state includes the vehicle speed of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the acceleration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, and the yaw rate of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. Specifically, the travel state recognition unit 33 recognizes the vehicle speed of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information of the vehicle speed sensor. The running state recognition unit 33 recognizes the acceleration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the acceleration information of the acceleration sensor. The running state recognition unit 33 recognizes the orientation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the yaw rate information of the yaw rate sensor.

The remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines whether or not the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2 should request the remote commander R (the remote instruction device 1) to perform a remote instruction. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines whether or not a remote instruction should be requested based on at least one of the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 acquired by the vehicle position acquisition unit 31, the map information of the map database 24, the external environment recognized by the external environment recognition unit 32, and the travel track generated by the travel track generation unit 35 described later.

The remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines that a remote instruction should be requested when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a remote instruction target state, for example. The remote instruction target state is a state that is set in advance as a state in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 should request the remote instruction device 1 to perform a remote instruction.

Remotely indicating a condition of a subject includes: the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may be at least one of a situation where it turns right at an intersection, a situation where it enters an intersection with or without a traffic signal, a situation where it passes a traffic signal (for example, a situation where it passes a traffic signal corresponding to a crosswalk in the middle of a road), a situation where it starts changing lanes, a situation where it enters a construction section, a situation where it enters a railroad crossing, a situation where it stops at a station of an autonomous bus, a situation where a scheduled autonomous vehicle stops at a place of or at a destination, a situation where it is required to determine whether or not to avoid an offset to a front obstacle, and a situation where it is required to determine whether or not to overtake a preceding vehicle. The remote indication object condition may also include other conditions requiring judgment of emergency back-off. In the case of a country or region where the vehicle passes to the right, the vehicle can turn left at the intersection instead of turning right at the intersection.

The remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines that a remote instruction should be requested when the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2 enters a situation to enter the intersection or turns right at the intersection, for example. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may determine that a remote instruction should be requested when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 enters a situation in which a lane change is started to reach a destination. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may determine that a remote instruction should be requested when an obstacle to be offset-avoided exists in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The remote instruction request determination unit 34 can recognize, for example, a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is about to turn right at the intersection, a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is about to enter the intersection where the traffic signal is installed, or a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is about to start changing lanes, based on the position information, the map information, and the target route of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

When determining that a remote instruction should be requested, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 requests the remote instruction server 10 for a remote instruction by the remote commander R. Here, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 transmits the remote instruction request to the remote instruction server 10 as a request for remote instruction. The remote instruction request includes, for example, position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. As the position information, the position information acquired by the vehicle position acquiring unit 31 can be used. The remote instruction request includes, for example, identification information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote instruction request determining unit 34 may request a remote instruction with a margin in time. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may determine that a remote instruction should be requested when the distance between the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and an intersection or the like to be a remote instruction target becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may use the remaining time until arrival without using the distance.

The remote instruction request may include, for example, a reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted to the remote instruction server 10. The reason includes, for example, information for specifying a status of a remote instruction target determined to be requested for remote instruction. Specifically, the reason includes information for specifying the following situations: a situation in which it is required to determine whether or not to perform offset avoidance with respect to a preceding obstacle, a situation in which it is required to determine whether or not to perform overtaking with respect to a preceding vehicle, and the like.

When it is determined that the remote instruction is to be requested, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 transmits the running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the remote instruction server 10. The running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 includes information for the remote commander R to recognize the condition of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

Specifically, the running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 includes detection information of an in-vehicle sensor of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and/or information generated from the detection information of the in-vehicle sensor (for example, an overhead image of the remote autonomous vehicle 2). The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include, for example, a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by a camera of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include a captured image of the surroundings of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 including the side and the rear of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include information of an object detected by the radar sensor of the external sensor 22. The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include a result of identifying the type of the object. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may use the information of the external environment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 recognized by the external environment recognition unit 32 as the detection information of the in-vehicle sensor.

The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include information of the vehicle speed of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 detected by the vehicle speed sensor of the internal sensor 23. The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include information of the yaw rate of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 detected by the yaw rate sensor of the internal sensor 23. The detection information of the in-vehicle sensor may include information of the steering angle of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote instruction request determination unit 34 may use the information of the running state of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 recognized by the running state recognition unit 33 as the detection information of the in-vehicle sensor.

The travel condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may include position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may include information related to the occupant (presence or absence of the occupant, the number of occupants). The running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may include information on a running course corresponding to a remote instruction selectable by the remote commander R. The travel path will be described later.

The travel track generation unit 35 generates a travel track (trajectory) used for autonomous driving of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The travel track generation unit 35 generates an automated travel track based on a preset target route, map information, position information of the remote automated vehicle 2, an external environment of the remote automated vehicle 2, and a travel state of the remote automated vehicle 2. The travel locus corresponds to a travel plan for automatic driving.

The target route is generated in the remote instruction server 10 as described later. The travel track generation unit 35 receives the target route from the remote instruction server 10 via the communication unit 25, and generates a travel track using the received target route.

The travel trajectory includes a path (path) traveled by the vehicle through the automated driving and a vehicle speed plan in the automated driving. The route is a trajectory that the vehicle is expected to travel during autonomous driving on the target route. The route can be, for example, data of a change in steering angle of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (steering angle plan) according to a position on the target route. The position on the target route refers to, for example, a set longitudinal position set at predetermined intervals (for example, 1 meter) in the traveling direction of the target route. The steering angle profile is data in which a target steering angle is associated with each set vertical position.

The travel track generation unit 35 generates a route on which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 travels, based on, for example, the target route, the map information, the external environment of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, and the travel state of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The travel track generation unit 35 generates, for example, a route so that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 passes through the center of the lane (the center in the lane width direction) included in the target route.

The vehicle speed plan is, for example, data in which a target vehicle speed is associated with each set vertical position. The set vertical position may be set based on the travel time of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, not the distance. The set vertical position may be set to, for example, an arrival position of the vehicle after 1 second or an arrival position of the vehicle after 2 seconds. In this case, the vehicle speed plan can also be expressed as data corresponding to the travel time.

The travel track generation unit 35 generates a vehicle speed plan based on traffic regulation information such as a legal maximum speed included in the route and map information, for example. Instead of the legal maximum speed, a speed preset for a position or a section on a map may be used. When the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is an autonomous bus, the travel track generation unit 35 may generate a vehicle speed plan in consideration of the stop time at each station based on an operation plan including the arrival time determined at each station. The travel track generation unit 35 generates a travel track for automatic driving from the route and the vehicle speed plan. The method of generating the travel trajectory by the travel trajectory generation unit 35 is not limited to the above, and a known method related to automated driving may be employed. The same applies to the contents of the travel locus.

The travel track generation unit 35 generates a travel track corresponding to the remote instruction in advance when the remote instruction request determination unit 34 requests the remote instruction server 10 for a remote instruction or when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 approaches an intersection to be subjected to a remote instruction or the like. The content of the remote instruction is determined in advance according to the condition of the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2. For example, the content of the remote instruction at the time of a right turn at the intersection includes a remote instruction of "travel (right turn start)" and a remote instruction of "stop (determination hold (suspension determination))". The content of the remote instruction at the time of the right turn at the intersection may include a remote instruction for not turning to the right but going straight (a remote instruction for route change), or a remote instruction for emergency back-off.

The travel track generation unit 35 generates a travel track of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 turning right at the intersection so as to respond to a remote instruction for starting a right turn, for example, in a situation where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is going to turn right at the intersection. The travel track generation unit 35 may update the travel track in accordance with a change in the external environment until the remote instruction is received. In addition, when there is a straight-ahead remote instruction to switch from the right turn at the intersection to the intersection, the travel track generation unit 35 may generate a travel track for straight-ahead traveling at the intersection in advance.

When there is a remote instruction for emergency evacuation, the travel locus generation unit 35 may generate a travel locus for emergency evacuation in advance. The travel trajectory for emergency evacuation is generated so that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 stops in any one of the evacuation spaces set in advance on the map. The travel track generation unit 35 recognizes the presence or absence of an obstacle in each evacuation space based on, for example, the external environment, and generates a travel track for emergency evacuation so as to stop in an empty evacuation space. The travel locus generation unit 35 does not necessarily have to generate a travel locus in advance, and may generate a travel locus corresponding to a remote instruction after receiving the remote instruction.

The automated driving control portion 36 performs automated driving of the remote automated driving vehicle 2. The automated driving control unit 36 executes automated driving of the remote automated driving vehicle 2 based on, for example, the external environment of the remote automated driving vehicle 2, the traveling state of the remote automated driving vehicle 2, and the traveling locus generated by the traveling locus generation unit 35. The automated driving control portion 36 performs automated driving of the remote automated driving vehicle 2 by sending a control signal to the actuator 26.

When the remote instruction request determination unit 34 requests the remote instruction server 10 to perform a remote instruction, the automated driving control unit 36 waits for receiving a remote instruction from the remote instruction server 10. When the remote instruction is requested after the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is stopped, the autonomous driving control unit 36 maintains the stopped state until the remote instruction is received.

When there is a passenger with a driver's license in the vehicle, the automated driving control unit 36 may request the passenger to make a judgment or manually drive the vehicle when a remote instruction is not received even if a preset waiting time elapses. The automatic driving control unit 36 may automatically perform emergency evacuation even when the waiting time has elapsed without receiving a remote instruction and when the driver cannot make a judgment or manually drive the vehicle (e.g., when the driver is not present).

When receiving a remote instruction from the remote commander R, the automated driving control unit 36 executes remote driving based on the remote instruction. After the remote driving is completed, the automated driving control unit 36 executes automated driving based on the travel locus generated by the travel locus generation unit 35.

The notification control unit 37 notifies the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 of various information by controlling the HMI 27. For example, the notification control unit 37 can cause the display of the HMI27 to display the target route instructed from the remote instruction device 1. In this manner, the notification control unit 37 and the HMI27 function as a notification unit that notifies the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The passing determination unit 38 determines whether or not the vehicle has successfully passed the passing detour point when the vehicle is driven by the automated driving based on the instruction from the remote instruction server 10. When the vehicle passes through the passing detour point by the automatic driving, the determination unit 38 determines that the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by the automatic driving. The case where the vehicle passes through the detour point by the autonomous automatic driving here means a case where the vehicle 2 passes through the autonomous automatic driving without the need of the remote driving at the detour point. When passing through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving, the passing determination unit 38 transmits the remote automatic driving passing information indicating that the passing-by detour point has been passed by the automatic driving to the remote instruction server 10. Details of the passing point, the remote automatic driving passing information, and the processing by the determination unit 38 will be described later.

(constitution of remote indicating device)

Hereinafter, the configuration of the remote instruction device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1, the remote instruction device 1 includes a remote instruction server 10, a commander interface 3, and a map database 4 (see fig. 4).

First, a hardware configuration of the remote instruction server 10 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the remote instruction server 10. As shown in fig. 3, the remote instruction server 10 is configured as a general computer including a processor 10a, a storage unit 10b, a communication unit 10c, and a user interface 10 d. The user in this case means a user (administrator or the like) who remotely instructs the server 10.

The processor 10a operates various operating systems to control the remote commander server 10. The processor 10a is an arithmetic unit such as a CPU including a control device, an arithmetic device, a register, and the like. The processor 10a comprehensively manages the storage unit 10b, the communication unit 10c, and the user interface 10 d. The storage unit 10b is configured to include at least one of a memory (memory) and a storage (storage). The memory is a recording medium such as ROM, RAM, or the like. The storage is a recording medium such as an HDD.

The communication unit 10c is a communication device for performing communication via the network N. The communication unit 10c may be a network device, a network controller, a network card, or the like. The user interface 10d is an input/output unit of the remote instruction server 10 for a user such as an administrator. The user interface 10d includes a display, an output device such as a speaker, and an input device such as a touch panel. The remote instruction server 10 is not necessarily installed in a facility (mechanism), and may be mounted in a mobile body such as a vehicle.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote instruction device 1. As shown in fig. 4, the remote instruction device 1 has a map database 4 connected to the remote instruction server 10 in addition to the commander interface 3 and the remote instruction server 10. The map database 4 is a database in which map information is recorded. The map database 4 is formed in a recording device such as an HDD mounted on the remote instruction device 1, for example. The map information includes position information of roads, information of road shapes (for example, curvature information), position information of intersections and branch points, and the like. The map information may include position information of a point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is difficult (unable) to pass by the autonomous driving, that is, a passing-by point. At the passing-by point, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 makes a remote request, and the remote autonomous vehicle 2 travels by remote driving by the remote commander R. The passing-by place is a place where the remote autonomous-driving vehicle 2 can pass through by remote driving based on a remote instruction of the remote commander R. That is, the passing-by point is a point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through by autonomous driving, and a remote instruction by the remote commander R is required. The setting of the passing point will be described in detail later.

The commander interface 3 is an input/output section of the remote instruction device 1 with respect to the remote commander R. The commander interface 3 has an information output unit 3a and an instruction input unit 3 b.

The information output unit 3a is a device that outputs information for remotely instructing the remote commander R to remotely and automatically drive the vehicle 2. The information output unit 3a includes, for example, a display for outputting an image and a speaker for outputting a sound.

As an example, an image in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (an image of a front scene) captured by a camera of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is displayed on the display. The display may have a plurality of display screens, or may display an image of the side and/or rear of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The display is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to provide visual information to the remote commander R. The display may also be a wearable device that is worn in such a way as to cover the eyes of the remote commander R.

The speaker is, for example, a head mounted speaker worn on the head of the remote commander R. The speaker transmits, for example, a situation of the remote autopilot vehicle 2 (for example, a situation such as a right turn at an intersection) to the remote commander R by voice. The speakers need not be head mounted, but may be stationary.

The information output unit 3a may provide information to the remote commander R by vibration. The information output unit 3a may have a vibration actuator provided at the seat of the remote commander R, for example. The information output portion 3a may also call the remote commander R to notice that another vehicle approaches the remote autonomous vehicle 2 or the like by vibration. The information output unit 3a may be provided with vibration actuators on the left and right sides of the seat, and may vibrate the vibration actuators at positions corresponding to the approaching direction of another vehicle or the like. Further, the information output unit 3a may have a wearable vibration actuator to be worn on the body of the remote commander R. The information output unit 3a can provide information to the remote commander R by vibrating the vibration actuators attached to the respective positions of the body in accordance with the approaching direction of another vehicle or the like.

The instruction input unit 3b is a device for inputting a remote instruction by the remote commander R. The instruction input unit 3b has a joystick, for example. The instruction input unit 3b outputs a remote instruction to move the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by tilting the joystick to the rear side in the front-rear direction of the remote commander R, and inputs a remote instruction to decelerate or stop the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by tilting the joystick to the front side in the front-rear direction of the remote commander R.

The instruction input unit 3b may have a button, and the remote commander R may press the button and push down the joystick to input a remote instruction. The instruction input unit 3b may have a touch panel. The touch panel may be common to the display of the information output unit 3 a. The instruction input unit 3b may have an operation pedal.

The instruction input unit 3b may have a function of voice recognition or a function of gesture recognition. The posture of the remote commander R can be recognized by a camera and/or a radar sensor mounted on the commander interface 3. The instruction input unit 3b may be configured to be capable of inputting a remote instruction by combining two or more of an operation of a joystick, an operation of a button, an operation of a touch panel, an operation of an operation pedal, a voice input, and a gesture.

Next, a functional configuration of the remote instruction server 10 will be described. As shown in fig. 4, the remote instruction server 10 includes a travel management unit (route generation unit) 11, a remote instruction request receiving unit 12, an information providing unit 13, a remote instruction transmitting unit 14, a position information acquiring unit 15, a request occurrence point determining unit 16, a remote instruction reason collecting unit 17, and a passing point setting unit 18.

The travel management unit 11 manages the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by generating a target route on which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 travels and causing the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel along the target route by autonomous driving. The travel management unit 11 generates a target route based on, for example, a request for starting travel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, and instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The request for starting the travel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is appropriately determined, for example, based on a service using the remote autonomous vehicle 2 performed by the vehicle remote instruction system 100.

For example, when receiving a transport instruction from the passenger as an instruction to start traveling, the travel management unit 11 can generate a target route based on the transport instruction and instruct the remote autonomous vehicle 2. Alternatively, for example, when accepting a delivery instruction for a package as an instruction to start traveling, the travel management unit 11 may generate a target route based on the delivery instruction and instruct the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The travel management unit 11 generates a target route based on, for example, the destination, the map information stored in the map database 4, and the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. For example, the target route may also be generated in consideration of the travel distance up to the destination. The target route may also be generated in consideration of traffic information such as congestion. Further, the destination is set according to the service using the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by the vehicle remote instruction system 100. For example, the destination may be set by an occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, or may be set as a location of a delivery destination of the package. For example, the target route may be a route leading to the destination via the riding place of the occupant. In addition, when generating the target route, the travel management unit 11 can acquire the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 from the remote autonomous vehicle 2, for example. For example, when the travel management unit 11 constantly monitors the position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (that is, when the travel management unit obtains the position information in a normal state), the travel management unit 11 may use the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 being monitored.

Further, when a passing detour point is set in the map information stored in the map database 4, the travel management unit 11 generates the target route while avoiding the passing detour point. That is, the travel management unit 11 generates a target route that is detoured so as not to pass through the passing detour point. In this way, the travel management unit 11 generates a target route avoiding the passing detour point as the target route of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the passing detour point and the map information.

The travel management unit 11 may set a lane to be traveled by the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the map information and the destination, and may generate the target route by including information of the lane to be traveled in the target route.

The remote instruction request receiving unit 12 receives a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 requests a remote instruction from the remote instruction server 10. The remote instruction request receiving unit 12 acquires the traveling condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 that has requested the remote instruction by transmitting the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The remote instruction request receiving unit 12 may acquire the running condition information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 for which the remote instruction is not requested.

When the remote instruction request receiving unit 12 receives a remote instruction request, the information providing unit 13 requests the responsible remote commander R to input a remote instruction via the commander interface 3.

The information providing unit 13 provides the remote commander R with information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the detection information of the external sensor 22 in the remote autonomous vehicle 2 acquired by the remote instruction request receiving unit 12. The information providing unit 13 displays an image in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 on a display of the information output unit 3a of the commander interface 3, for example. The information providing unit 13 may display an image that is changed to be viewed from the vicinity of the driver's seat of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by viewpoint conversion. The information providing unit 13 may display images of the side and the rear of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The information providing unit 13 may display a panoramic image obtained by synthesizing images obtained by imaging the surroundings of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, or may display an overhead image generated by image synthesis and viewpoint conversion so as to look down the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The information providing unit 13 may perform highlighting of an object in the image (for example, display of surrounding another vehicle or the like with a frame). When the image includes the traffic signal, the information providing unit 13 may display the recognition result of the lighting state of the traffic signal on the display.

The information providing unit 13 may display various kinds of information on the display, not only the image captured by the camera of the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2. The information providing unit 13 may display the status of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (the status of right turn at the intersection, etc.) for which the remote instruction is requested, using text, an icon, or the like. The information providing unit 13 may display on the display the type of remote instruction that the remote commander R can select. The information providing unit 13 may display information on the travel trajectory of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 according to the remote instruction (the trajectory of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 traveling according to the remote instruction of travel, or the like) on the display.

The information providing unit 13 may display information of an object detected by the radar sensor of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. The information of the object may be displayed as an icon in the overhead image. When the type of the object is discriminated, an icon display corresponding to the type of the object may be performed. The information providing unit 13 may display map information on the periphery of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 acquired based on the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 on the display. The remote instruction server 10 may have map information, or may acquire map information from another server or the like. The map information around the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may be acquired from the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

The information providing unit 13 may display information on the vehicle speed of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 on the display, or may display information on the steering angle of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 on the display. The information providing unit 13 may display information on the gradient of the road on which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is located on the display. In the case where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 has an in-vehicle camera, the information providing unit 13 may display an image of the interior of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 as needed.

The information providing unit 13 may provide the sound information to the remote commander R through the speaker of the information output unit 3a of the commander interface 3. In this case, the information providing unit 13 may output, for example, the approach of another vehicle or the like around the remote autonomous vehicle 2 as sound or voice from a speaker. Furthermore, the provision of information to the speakers is not necessary.

When the remote commander R inputs a remote instruction to the instruction input unit 3b of the commander interface 3, the remote instruction transmitting unit 14 transmits the input remote instruction to the remote autonomous vehicle 2. When transmitting the remote instruction input by the remote commander R to the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the information providing unit 13 may continue to transmit the information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to the remote commander R or may switch to another information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 requesting the remote instruction.

When the remote instruction request receiving unit 12 receives the remote instruction request, the positional information acquiring unit 15 acquires positional information of a point at which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 has transmitted the remote instruction request. Here, the position information acquisition unit 15 can acquire, for example, the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 included in the remote instruction request.

The request occurrence location determination unit 16 determines, based on the remote instruction request received by the remote instruction request reception unit 12 and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 15, a location where the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency. In addition, when the deviation of the position information is within a predetermined distance (for example, within several meters), the request occurrence location determination unit 16 may perform determination as the same location. Here, the instruction request frequency refers to the number of remote instruction requests within a predetermined period. For example, the predetermined period may be a period from the present to a predetermined time or a predetermined number of days before.

Here, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 can use a predetermined counting target point as a point for counting the instruction request frequency of the remote instruction request. That is, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 counts the number of remote instruction requests when a remote instruction request is made at the counting target point. The counting target point is a point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through autonomous driving without being instructed by a remote control. In other words, the counting target location refers to a location other than a location predetermined to pass by in accordance with the remote instruction. For example, the counting target place does not include a place (e.g., an intersection, a railroad crossing, or the like) that is predetermined to pass by according to the remote instruction. That is, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 counts the remote instruction requests that are originally points where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through by autonomous automated driving, but that are transmitted in accordance with a situation where the remote autonomous vehicle cannot pass through (a situation where the situation temporarily changes).

For example, the point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through by autonomous driving may be the following point: when the vehicle is stopped in the travel lane in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, it is necessary to avoid the vehicle from deviating based on the remote instruction. For example, the point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through by autonomous driving may be the following point: when construction is performed on the travel lane in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (the construction section is changed), it is necessary to avoid a point in the construction section from deviating based on a remote instruction.

Here, the map information stored in the map database 4 includes information specifying a point (for example, an intersection, a railroad crossing, or the like) through which the remote instruction passes. Therefore, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 can determine whether or not the point at which the remote instruction request is made by the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is the counting target point based on the map information, and can count the remote instruction request.

In this manner, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 determines whether or not the point at which the remote instruction request is transmitted is the counting target point, based on the remote instruction request received by the remote instruction request reception unit 12 and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 15. When the point at which the remote instruction request is transmitted is the point to be counted, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 determines a point at which the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency, based on the remote instruction request received by the remote instruction request reception unit 12 and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 15.

When a remote instruction request is made at a point to be counted, the request generation point determination unit 16 associates and stores the point at which the remote instruction request was made with the time at which the remote instruction request was made at that point. Here, when a remote instruction request is made a plurality of times at a certain location, the request occurrence location determination unit 16 stores each time when the remote instruction request is made. The request occurrence point determination unit 16 can determine, based on the information associated in this way, a point at which the frequency of sending remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency.

However, when the predetermined frequency of the instruction requests is 1 time, the request occurrence location determination unit 16 may store the location at which the remote instruction request has been made, without associating the location with the time at which the remote instruction request has been made at the location. In this case, when a remote instruction request is made at the point to be counted, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 can determine the point to which the remote instruction request has been transmitted as a point at which the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency.

The request occurrence point determination unit 16 may determine whether or not the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted from the points where the remote instruction requests are transmitted is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency, based on the remote instruction requests transmitted from the plurality of remote autonomous vehicles 2.

The remote instruction reason collection unit 17 collects the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted from the remote autonomous vehicle 2. Here, the remote instruction reason collecting unit 17 may collect the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted only when the remote instruction request is transmitted from the counting target point. The remote instruction reason collection unit 17 may obtain the reason based on an input of the remote commander R, and may obtain the reason when the remote instruction request transmitted from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 includes the reason that the remote instruction request is transmitted. When the reason is acquired by the remote instruction reason collection unit 17 when the remote instruction request is transmitted, the request occurrence location determination unit 16 stores the acquired reason in association with the location or the like where the remote instruction request is made.

Specifically, for example, when the remote commander R performs a remote instruction in response to a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the remote commander R may confirm a status of a remote instruction target based on an image displayed on the display of the information output unit 3a and input a reason for transmitting the remote instruction request. For example, the remote commander R may confirm the image displayed on the display, recognize that the vehicle is stopped in the traveling lane in front of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 or that construction is being performed in the traveling lane in front of the remote autonomous vehicle, and input the recognized situation as a reason for transmitting the remote instruction request. In this case, the remote instruction reason collecting unit 17 can obtain the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted based on the input of the remote commander R.

(by setting of detour site)

The detour point setting unit 18 sets a point at which the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a detour point of passage of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, based on the determination result of the request occurrence point determination unit 16. As described above, the passing-by detour point is a point where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass by autonomous driving and requires a remote instruction from the remote commander R. In this way, the detour point setting unit 18 sets the following points as detour passing points: although the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the autonomous vehicle, the frequency of the remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency because the vehicle cannot pass through the autonomous vehicle. The detour point setting unit 18 sets the position of the set detour point on the map to the map information stored in the map database 4.

As a specific example, for example, as shown in fig. 5, a target route L from a point a to a point B is set by the travel management portion 11, and the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is traveling along the target route L. At a point P1 immediately before the point B, as shown in fig. 6, there is a parked vehicle X on the travel lane of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. In this case, the remote instruction request determining unit 34 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 determines that it is a situation (remote instruction target situation) in which it is required to determine whether or not offset avoidance is performed with respect to the preceding parked vehicle X.

Specifically, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 needs to go out of the oncoming lane to avoid the parked vehicle X. Thus, the automated driving control unit 36 stops the remote automated driving vehicle 2 immediately before the parked vehicle X. Then, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 transmits the remote instruction request to the remote instruction server 10. When the remote instruction server 10 receives the remote instruction request, the remote commander R remotely instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 based on the remote instruction request. Thus, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can avoid the parked vehicle X by traveling by remote driving based on the remote instruction.

When the remote instruction request is transmitted from the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 of the remote instruction server 10 stores the point P1 at which the remote instruction request was made in association with the time at which the remote instruction request was made at the point P1. The request occurrence point determination unit 16 of the remote instruction server 10 determines whether or not the frequency of sending remote instruction requests at the point P1 is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency. The point P1 serves as a predetermined counting target point. When the frequency of sending the remote instruction requests at the point P1 is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency, the detour point setting unit 18 sets the point P1 as the passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and sets the map information stored in the map database 4.

As described above, a point where the frequency of sending the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency is set as the passing-by point in the map information. In this case, the travel management unit 11 generates a target route avoiding the set passing detour point when the target route of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is generated next time. For example, as shown in fig. 7, when the point P1 is set to pass the detour point and a target route from the point a to the point B is generated, the travel management unit 11 can generate the target route L1 avoiding the point P1 as shown by the broken line in fig. 7. Further, the target route L shown by the solid line in fig. 7 is a target route before the point P1 is set to pass the detour point.

For example, as shown in fig. 8, the travel management unit 11 may generate an optimal route (for example, an optimal route based on a travel distance or the like) from the point C, which is one of the passage points of the original target route L shown in fig. 5, to the point B while avoiding the point P1, as the target route L2 avoiding the point P1 when traveling from the point a to the point B.

Note that, although an example of generating a target route from the point a to the point B avoiding the point P1 is shown in fig. 7 and 8, the travel management unit 11 also generates a target route avoiding the point P1 as a point of detour when generating a target route from a departure point other than the point a to an arrival point other than the point B.

In addition, when the target route avoiding the passing detour point is generated, the travel management unit 11 can transmit the position information of the passing detour point and the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing detour point to the remote autonomous vehicle 2 together with the generated target route. The reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the detour point is the reason collected by the remote instruction reason collection unit 17. In this case, the notification control unit 37 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 notifies the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 of the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing point, together with the target route avoiding the passing point, generated by the travel management unit 11, using the HMI 27.

For example, the notification control unit 37 can cause the display of the HMI27 to display the destination route L, the passing detour point P, and the reason M for the remote instruction request transmitted at the passing detour point P, as in the display screen example shown in fig. 9. In the example shown in fig. 9, a target route L for the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to send the occupant from the riding position to the destination is shown. The reason M for the remote instruction request transmitted at the detour point P is that the detour point P is in the construction period, and thus the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the detour point by autonomous automatic driving and tries to travel a route to be bypassed by the detour point. The occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can recognize the reason for traveling along the route avoiding the passing detour point P by confirming the display.

The reason M may be displayed when the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2 approaches the vicinity of the passing-by detour point where passage is avoided, or may be displayed when the target route L is displayed from the beginning. The reason M is not limited to the notification to the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 together with the target route L. The notification control unit 37 may notify the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 only of the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the point set to pass the detour point.

(Release of setting of detour site)

The detour point setting unit 18 can cancel the setting of the detour point. The passing detour point setting unit 18 cancels the setting as the passing detour point when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a state where the vehicle X stopped at the passing detour point moves or the construction is completed and the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous automatic driving. Here, the detour point setting unit 18 cancels the setting of the passing detour point set in the map information (deletes the passing detour point). After the setting of the passing point is released, the request generation point determination unit 16 starts counting again from 0 (zero) the remote instruction request at the point where the setting of the passing point is released.

Specifically, the detour point setting unit 18 can cancel the setting of the detour point based on the remote automatic driving passage information. The remote automated driving passage information is information indicating whether or not the remote automated driving vehicle 2 can pass through a passage detour point by autonomous automated driving. The detour point setting unit 18 can use the remote automatic driving passage information transmitted from the passage determination unit 38 of the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 as the remote automatic driving passage information. Next, a process will be described in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 transmits the remote autonomous driving passage information and the detour point setting unit 18 cancels the setting of the detour point.

As described above, the travel management unit 11 can manage the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 by instructing the remote autonomous vehicle 2 of the target route and causing the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel along the target route by autonomous driving. Then, for example, the travel management unit 11 instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in a state where a service such as a delivery of an occupant is not performed to a target route that passes through the passing detour point, and causes the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel so as to pass through the passing detour point. Further, as the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in a state where a service such as a passenger transportation is not performed, for example, it may be determined whether or not a dedicated remote autonomous vehicle (for example, a probe vehicle or the like) can be used by passing through a passing-by point by autonomous driving.

The remote automated driving vehicle 2 travels along the target route by automated driving based on an instruction from the travel management portion 11. The passage determination unit 38 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 determines whether or not the autonomous automatic driving has successfully passed through the passage detour point without performing the remote instruction request. When the vehicle passes the passing point successfully, the passing determination unit 38 determines that the vehicle can pass the passing point by the automatic driving. The position information of the passing point may be transmitted from the travel management unit 11 to the passage determination unit 38 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 together with the target route.

When passing through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving, the passing determination unit 38 transmits the remote automatic driving passing information indicating that the passing-by detour point has been passed by the automatic driving to the remote instruction server 10. The passing point setting unit 18 cancels the setting of the passing point based on the remote automatic driving passage information transmitted from the remote automatic driving vehicle 2. This case may be exemplified by the following: as shown in fig. 6, the parked vehicle X is present on the lane, and therefore the place is set as the passing-by place, but thereafter the parked vehicle X moves to be in a state where the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass by the automatic driving without the remote instruction request.

On the other hand, it is assumed that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving, and performs the remote instruction request when traveling along the target route, and passes through the passing detour point by remote driving. In this case, the determination unit 38 determines that the vehicle cannot pass through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving, and does not transmit the remote automatic driving passing information to the remote instruction server 10. Therefore, the passing point setting unit 18 does not cancel the setting of the passing point.

In this way, when the passing detour point is set, the travel management unit 11 instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to avoid the target route passing the detour point. The travel management unit 11 instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2, which is not performing a service such as transportation by a passenger, to pass through a target route passing through a detour point. In this way, the travel management unit 11 determines whether or not the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by the automatic driving using the remote automatic driving vehicle 2. The detour point setting unit 18 can cancel the setting of the detour point based on the traveling result of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (remote autonomous driving passing information).

Further, the travel management unit 11 can constantly monitor the position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. In this case, the travel management unit 11 may determine that the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2 has passed the passing detour point by the automatic driving when the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2 passes the passing detour point by the automatic driving without a remote instruction. That is, the passage determination unit 38 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 does not need to determine whether or not the vehicle can pass through the passage bypassing point by the autonomous driving. When the remote autonomous vehicle 2 passes through the passing detour point by autonomous driving, the travel management unit 11 may output, to the passing detour point setting unit 18, remote autonomous driving passing information indicating that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 passes through the passing detour point by autonomous driving. In this case, the detour point setting unit 18 can cancel the setting of the detour point based on the remote automatic driving passage information output from the travel management unit 11.

(processing flow of vehicle remote indication System)

First, a process flow in which the remote instruction server 10 sets a passing point based on a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of setting a passing-by detour point by the remote instruction server 10. Further, the processing shown in fig. 10 is performed during the execution of the service provided by the vehicle remote instruction system 100 by the remote autonomous vehicle 2. In addition, the process shown in fig. 10 starts in the following case: the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 that is providing the service transmits the remote instruction request while traveling along the target route, and the transmitted remote instruction request is received by the remote instruction server 10. Here, a case where a remote instruction request is transmitted to a counting target point will be described. In addition, explanation will be omitted below in that the remote commander R performs remote instruction based on a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in parallel with the process in which the remote instruction server 10 sets the passing-by point.

As shown in fig. 10, when receiving a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 stores a point at which the remote instruction request is made in association with a time at which the remote instruction request is made at the point (S101). The request occurrence location determination unit 16 stores the reason acquired by the remote instruction reason collection unit 17 in association with the location or the like where the remote instruction request is made.

Then, the request occurrence point determination unit 16 determines whether or not the frequency of remote instruction requests transmitted at the point where the remote instruction request is transmitted is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency (S102). When the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency (yes in S102), the detour point setting unit 18 sets the point to which the remote instruction request is transmitted as a transit detour point (S103). On the other hand, when the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is not equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency (no in S102), the remote instruction server 10 ends the process this time, and when the remote instruction server 10 receives the remote instruction request next time, the process of S101 is performed again.

Next, a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing point performed in the vehicle remote instruction system 100 will be described. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed in the vehicle remote instruction system 100. The process shown in fig. 11 is started at a predetermined timing (timing) when there is a remote autonomous vehicle 2 that is not performing a service such as a passenger transportation.

As shown in fig. 11, the travel management unit 11 instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in a state where a service such as a delivery of an occupant is not performed to pass through a target route passing through a passing detour point, and causes the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel so as to pass through the passing detour point (S201). The passage determination unit 38 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 determines whether or not the vehicle has passed through the passage detour point by autonomous driving (S202). When the vehicle has passed through the automatic driving (yes in S202), the passage determination unit 38 of the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 transmits, to the remote instruction server 10, remote automatic driving passage information indicating that the vehicle has passed through the detour point by the automatic driving (S203).

When the remote automatic driving passage information is received, the passage detour point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 cancels the setting of the passage detour point (S204). Thus, the travel management unit 11 can generate a target route passing through a point set to pass through the detour point. On the other hand, when the vehicle remote instruction system 100 cannot make a remote instruction request by passing through the passing-by detour point by the automated driving (no in S202), the present process is ended, and the process in S201 is performed again at a predetermined timing.

Next, a process flow of managing the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 performed in the vehicle remote instruction system 100 will be described. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing a process flow of generating a target route and managing the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 performed in the vehicle remote instruction system 100. Further, the process shown in fig. 12 is started based on a request for the start of travel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2.

As shown in fig. 12, when a request for starting the travel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is made, the travel management unit 11 of the remote instruction server 10 acquires the current position of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 and a destination corresponding to a service provided in the remote autonomous vehicle 2 (S301). The travel management unit 11 generates a target route to a destination. When the target route is generated, the travel management unit 11 avoids the passing detour point when the passing detour point exists on the route to the destination based on the map information in the map database 4, and generates the target route (S302).

The travel management unit 11 transmits the target route to the remote autonomous vehicle 2. When the target route avoiding the passing detour point is generated, the travel management unit 11 transmits the position information of the passing detour point and the reason (the reason collected by the remote instruction reason collection unit 17) that the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing detour point to the remote autonomous vehicle 2 together with the target route. When receiving the target route, the notification control unit 37 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 displays the acquired target route on the display of the HMI27, and presents the target route to the occupant. When the reason why the remote instruction request was transmitted at the detour point is received together with the target route, the notification control unit 37 causes the display of the HMI27 to display the target route L, the detour point P, and the reason M that the remote instruction request was transmitted at the detour point P, as in the display screen example shown in fig. 9 (S303). Then, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 automatically travels based on the target route received from the remote instruction server 10.

As described above, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can set a point where the frequency of remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. In this way, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can suppress the occurrence of the remote instruction request when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 passes by setting the passing-by point. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can suppress the load on the remote commander R.

The travel management unit 11 of the remote instruction server 10 generates a route avoiding the passing-by detour point as a target route of the remote autonomous vehicle 2, and transmits the generated target route to the remote autonomous vehicle 2. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can cause the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel by autonomous driving avoiding the passing-by point where the frequency of remote instruction requests is high. In this way, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can suppress the remote instruction by the remote commander R and cause the remote autonomous vehicle 2 to travel by autonomous driving.

The notification control unit 37 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 notifies the occupant of the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted through the detour point using the HMI 27. In this case, the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can recognize the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing point, that is, the reason why the remote instruction request is set to pass the passing point.

The passing detour point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 cancels the setting as the passing detour point when the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a situation where it is possible to pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving. Specifically, the passing point setting unit 18 cancels the setting as the passing point based on the remote automatic driving passage information transmitted from the passage determination unit 38 of the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 or based on the remote automatic driving passage information output from the travel management unit 11 that monitors the position of the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 in a normal state. In this case, the vehicle remote instruction system 100 can appropriately cancel the setting of the passing point.

In addition, the passing point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 may cancel the setting of the passing point based on the automatic driving passage information transmitted from the automatic driving vehicle, instead of the remote automatic driving passage information indicating that the remote automatic driving vehicle 2 passes the passing point by the automatic driving. The autonomous vehicle here is a vehicle that can switch between manual driving by the driver and autonomous driving, and is not remotely driven as in the case of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. For example, when the passing-by detour point passes through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving without switching the passing-by detour point to the manual driving, the automatic driving passing information indicating whether or not the automatic driving vehicle passes through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving is transmitted to the remote instruction server 10. The passing detour point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 can cancel the setting of the passing detour point based on the automatic driving passing information transmitted from the automatic driving vehicle. For example, the travel management unit 11 of the remote instruction server 10 may constantly monitor the position of the autonomous vehicle and the driving state of the autonomous vehicle (the driving type of autonomous driving and manual driving). In this case, the travel management unit 11 may output, to the passing detour point setting unit 18, passage information indicating passage of the autonomous vehicle from the passing detour point by the autonomous vehicle when the autonomous vehicle passes the passing detour point by the autonomous vehicle without switching to the manual driving. The detour point setting unit 18 may cancel the setting of the detour point based on the automatic driving passage information output from the travel management unit 11. That is, the detour point setting unit 18 cancels the setting of the detour point when the autonomous vehicle passes the detour point by autonomous driving based on the autonomous driving passing information. In this case, the autonomous vehicle does not need to transmit the autonomous driving passing information to the remote instruction server 10. The autonomous vehicle may be a vehicle that performs a service such as transportation of a passenger, or may be an autonomous vehicle (for example, a probe vehicle) dedicated to determining whether or not the autonomous vehicle can pass through a passing detour point by autonomous driving.

(modification 1 of the setting Release)

Next, a description will be given of a 1 st modification of the remote instruction server to cancel the setting of the passing detour point by the passing detour point setting unit. As shown in fig. 13, the remote instruction server 10A of the remote instruction device 1A according to the present modification includes a passing point setting unit 18A instead of the passing point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 according to embodiment 1. The remote instruction server 10A further includes a setting cancellation control unit 19A. The other configurations of the remote instruction device 1A are the same as those of the remote instruction device 1 in embodiment 1, and the same reference numerals are assigned thereto, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, description will be given centering on differences from the vehicle remote instruction system 100 in embodiment 1. Although detailed description is omitted, the vehicle remote instruction system 100A in the present modification also remotely instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in the same manner as the vehicle remote instruction system 100 in embodiment 1.

In the present modification, the remote instruction device 1A determines whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving by an end user (a user of a user terminal 5 described later) located at the passing detour point, and cancels the setting of the passing detour point based on the determination result of the end user.

Specifically, the passing detour point setting unit 18A sets the passing detour point in the same manner as the passing detour point setting unit 18 in embodiment 1. The passing detour point setting unit 18A cancels the setting of the passing detour point based on the passing detour point situation information indicating the situation of the passing detour point. The detour point situation information is transmitted from the user terminal 5 shown in fig. 14. In the present modification, the passing point situation information indicates, for example, a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing point by autonomous driving. As will be described in detail later, in the case of a situation in which the vehicle 2 can pass through the passing-by detour point by automatic driving, the end user transmits the passing-by detour point situation information to the remote instruction server 10A through the user terminal 5. In this way, the passing point setting unit 18A cancels the setting of the passing point based on the passing point situation information transmitted from the terminal user.

The setting cancellation control unit 19A transmits the setting cancellation determination information to the user terminal 5 of the end user located at the passing-by point based on the position information of the user terminal 5. The setting cancellation determination information is information for determining whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving. The setting cancellation judgment information includes position information of the passing detour point. The setting cancellation determination information may include at least one of a reason why the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the passing bypassing point by autonomous driving and a situation of passing through the bypassing point. The reason why the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the passing-by detour point by autonomous driving may be the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted, or may be the reason collected by the remote instruction reason collecting unit 17 (for example, there is a parked vehicle). The situation of the passing-by point may include image information indicating the situation of the passing-by point. For example, the situation of the passing point may include image information in which the parking vehicle is present. As the image information, traveling condition information transmitted when the remote instruction request is made from the remote autonomous vehicle 2 may be used.

As shown in fig. 14, the vehicle remote instruction system 100A further includes a user terminal 5. The user terminal 5 is connected to the remote instruction device 1A via the network N so as to be able to communicate with each other. The user terminal 5 is carried by the end user. Here, the terminal user is, for example, a person who is present at the detour point, such as a pedestrian walking at the detour point. The end user may be a manager of the vehicle remote instruction system or a general person other than the manager.

The user terminal 5 includes a user interface 51, a communication unit 52, and a terminal ECU 53. The user interface 51 inputs and outputs information to and from the end user. The user interface 51 includes an information output unit 51a and an instruction input unit 51 b.

The information output unit 51a includes, for example, a display that outputs an image. The display displays the setting cancellation determination information transmitted from the remote instruction server 10A. For example, the position of the passing by place is displayed on the display. For example, the reason why the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the passing-by detour point by autonomous driving (there is a parked vehicle or the like) may be displayed on the display. For example, an image showing the state of passing by the detour point (an image showing a parked vehicle, or the like) may be displayed on the display.

The instruction input unit 51b receives an input operation by an end user. Here, the end user visually recognizes the passing detour point based on the setting cancellation determination information output by the information output unit 51a, and confirms the situation of the passing detour point. Then, the end user determines whether or not the vehicle 2 is in a situation where the vehicle can pass through the passing-by detour point by the automatic driving. For example, when the situation changes to a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the detour point by autonomous driving, such as when a parked vehicle parked at the detour point moves or when construction is completed, the end user determines that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the detour point by autonomous driving. Then, the end user can input the instruction input unit 51b with the intention that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing-by point by autonomous driving.

The communication unit 52 is a communication device that controls wireless communication with the outside of the user terminal 5. The communication unit 52 transmits and receives various information to and from the remote instruction device 1A (remote instruction server 10A) via the network N.

The terminal ECU53 is an electronic control unit having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. In the terminal ECU53, various functions are realized, for example, by loading a program recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program loaded into the RAM by the CPU.

The terminal ECU53 functionally has a position notification unit 53a, a presentation control unit 53b, and a determination result transmission unit 53 c.

The position notification unit 53a notifies the remote instruction server 10A of the position information of the user terminal 5 via the communication unit 52. For example, the position notification unit 53a can acquire the position information of the user terminal 5 based on the position information of the GPS receiving unit included in the user terminal 5, as in the case of the vehicle position acquisition unit 31 of the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2 described with reference to fig. 2. As a method of acquiring the position information of the user terminal 5, various known methods can be used. Based on the position information of the user terminal 5 notified by the position notification unit 53a, the setting cancellation control unit 19A of the remote instruction server 10A can determine whether or not the end user carrying the user terminal 5 is located at the passing-by detour point. Here, the setup release control unit 19A may determine that the end user carrying the user terminal 5 is located at the passing detour point when the position of the user terminal 5 is within a predetermined distance from the passing detour point. Then, the setting cancellation control unit 19A transmits the setting cancellation determination information to the user terminal 5 of the end user who passes the detour point.

Here, the position notification unit 53a notifies the position information of the user terminal 5 at a predetermined timing. Further, the setting cancellation control unit 19A of the remote instruction server 10A can transmit the setting cancellation determination information of the passing bypassing point when the position of the user terminal 5 becomes the passing bypassing point.

The presentation control unit 53b receives the setting cancellation judgment information transmitted from the setting cancellation control unit 19A of the remote instruction server 10A, and causes the information output unit 51a to output the received setting cancellation judgment information.

The determination result transmitting unit 53c transmits the determination result of whether or not the remote automated driving vehicle 2 by the end user can pass through the passing-by detour point by automated driving to the remote instruction server 10A. Here, when the end user inputs to the instruction input unit 51b that the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2 can pass through the passing-by detour point by automatic driving, the determination result transmitting unit 53c transmits to the remote instruction server 10A passing-by detour point condition information indicating a condition that the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2 can pass through the passing-by detour point by automatic driving.

(processing flow of vehicle remote indication System)

Next, a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server 10A will be described. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server 10A. Further, the processing shown in fig. 15 is started when the end user of the user terminal 5 arrives at the passing detour point.

When the end user who carries the user terminal 5 arrives at the passing-by detour point, the setting cancellation control unit 19A transmits the setting cancellation determination information of the passing-by detour point where the end user is located to the user terminal 5 based on the position information transmitted from the user terminal 5 (S401). Based on the setting cancellation determination information, the terminal user of the user terminal 5 confirms the passing detour point and determines whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a situation where the autonomous vehicle can pass through. When the end user determines that the user can pass the instruction, the end user inputs the information to the instruction input unit 51 b.

After transmitting the setting cancellation determination information to the user terminal 5, the setting cancellation control unit 19A determines whether or not the passing detour point situation information indicating that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving is received from the user terminal 5 (S402). When the passing detour point situation information is received (yes in S402), the detour point setting unit 18A cancels the setting of the passing detour point based on the passing detour point situation information (S403). On the other hand, when the passing detour point status information is not received (no in S402), the detour point setting unit 18A maintains the setting of the passing detour point, and ends the current process.

As described above, in the vehicle remote instruction system 100A of the present modification, the terminal user carrying the user terminal 5 determines whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving. Further, the vehicle remote instruction system 100A can cancel the setting of the passing-by detour point based on the determination result of the end user. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system 100A can appropriately cancel the setting of the passing point. The reason why the remote autonomous vehicle 2 cannot pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving and/or an image showing the situation of the passing detour point may be displayed on the display of the information output unit 51a of the user terminal 5. In this case, the end user can easily recognize the difference from the current situation at the passing point, and can easily determine whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the situation by autonomous driving.

(modification 2 of the setting Release)

Next, a 2 nd modification of the cancellation of the setting of the passing detour point by the passing detour point setting unit of the remote instruction server will be described. As shown in fig. 16, the remote instruction server 10B of the remote instruction device 1B according to the present modification includes a passing point setting unit 18B instead of the passing point setting unit 18 of the remote instruction server 10 according to embodiment 1. The remote instruction server 10B further includes a setting cancellation control unit 19B. The other configurations of the remote instruction device 1B are the same as those of the remote instruction device 1 in embodiment 1, and the same reference numerals are assigned to them, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, description will be given centering on differences from the vehicle remote instruction system 100 in embodiment 1. Although detailed description is omitted, the vehicle remote instruction system 100B according to the present modification remotely instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 in the same manner as the vehicle remote instruction system 100 according to embodiment 1.

In the present modification, the remote instruction device 1B acquires observation data of a passing detour point observed by the observation device 6 (see fig. 17). The remote instruction device 1B cancels the setting of the passing bypassing point based on the determination result of whether or not the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2 can pass the passing bypassing point by autonomous driving based on the observation data. The determination as to whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing-by detour point by autonomous driving may be performed by the remote instruction device 1B based on observation data, or may be performed by a person (e.g., a manager of the remote instruction device 1B) based on observation data.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 17, the vehicle remote instruction system 100B further includes the observation device 6. The observation device 6 is connected to the remote instruction device 1B via the network N so as to be able to communicate with each other. The observation device 6 observes the situation of passing through the detour point.

For example, the observation device 6 may be provided on a pillar, a wall, or the like provided near a road so as to be able to observe the state on the road. The observation device 6 may be installed at a plurality of places. For example, the observation device 6 may be mounted on a mobile unit such as an unmanned aerial vehicle. The observation devices 6 may be mounted on a plurality of mobile units, respectively.

The observation device 6 includes an observation data acquisition unit 61 and an observation data transmission unit 62. The observation data acquiring unit 61 is a sensor for observing the external state of the observation device 6. The observation data acquiring unit 61 may be a camera or a radar sensor (e.g., a laser radar).

The observation data transmitting unit 62 transmits the observation data observed by the observation data acquiring unit 61 to the remote instruction server 10B of the remote instruction device 1B via the network N. The observation data transmitting unit 62 may transmit the observation data of the observation data acquiring unit 61 to the remote instruction server 10B at all times regardless of whether the situation of passing the detour point is included in the observation data. The observation data transmitting unit 62 may acquire the position information of the passing-by point, and transmit the observation data to the remote instruction server 10B only when the passing-by point is observed by the observation data acquiring unit 61. In this case, the observation data transmitting unit 62 may acquire the position information of the passing-by detour point from the remote instruction server 10B, and determine whether or not the situation of the passing-by detour point is observed by the observation data acquiring unit 61. The observation data transmitting unit 62 may periodically transmit the observation data to the remote instruction server 10B at a predetermined timing when the state of passing the detour point is observed by the observation data acquiring unit 61, or may transmit the observation data to the remote instruction server 10B when some change in the observation data is detected, such as when the movement of an object is detected.

As shown in fig. 16, the setup cancellation control unit 19B of the remote instruction server 10B determines whether or not the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2 is in a situation where it can pass through the passing detour point by automatic driving, based on the observation data indicating the situation of the passing detour point transmitted from the observation device 6. For example, when the situation changes to a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the transit point by autonomous driving, such as when the parking vehicle parked at the transit point moves or when construction is completed, the setting cancellation control unit 19B determines that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the transit point by autonomous driving. Here, for example, the setup release control unit 19B can recognize an object such as a parked vehicle based on a known object recognition technique or the like, and determine the situation.

Alternatively, the setting cancellation control unit 19B displays the observation data indicating the situation of the passing point transmitted from the observation device 6 on the display connected to the remote instruction server 10B so that the administrator of the remote instruction server 10B can recognize the observation data. The manager may determine whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a situation where the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving based on the situation of the passing detour point displayed on the display, and input the determination result to the remote instruction server 10B. In this way, the remote instruction server 10B enables the manager or the like to determine whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving.

As described above, for example, the observation device 6 may transmit the observation data to the remote instruction server 10B regardless of whether the situation of the passing point is included in the observation data. This case refers to, for example, a case where a point captured by a camera (observation data acquisition unit 61) installed on the road side is not a passing-by point at present. In this case, the setting cancellation control unit 19B may determine whether or not the observation data indicates a situation of passing the detour point based on the position information of the observation device 6 and the position information of the passing detour point. Further, the observation device 6 may acquire position information of the passing point and transmit observation data indicating a state of the passing point to the remote instruction server 10B. In this case, the setting cancellation control unit 19B may use the observation data transmitted from the observation device 6 as the observation data indicating the situation of passing the detour point.

The passing detour point setting unit 18B sets a passing detour point in the same manner as the passing detour point setting unit 18 in embodiment 1. The detour point setting unit 18B cancels the setting of the detour point based on the determination result of the setting cancellation control unit 19B or the determination result by a person such as a manager. Here, when it is determined that the remote autonomous vehicle 2 can pass through the passing bypassing point by autonomous driving, the bypassing point setting unit 18B cancels the setting of the passing bypassing point.

(processing flow of vehicle remote indication System)

Next, a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server 10B will be described. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a process flow of canceling the setting of the passing-by detour point performed by the remote instruction server 10B. Further, the process shown in fig. 18 is started in the following case: the observation device 6 observes the situation of passing through the detour point, and the remote instruction server 10B receives the observation data of passing through the detour point.

When the observation data of the passing bypassing point is received, the setting cancellation control unit 19B determines whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a situation where the passing bypassing point can pass through by autonomous driving, based on the observation data (S501). As described above, the determination in S501 may be performed by a manager or the like. In this case, the setting cancellation control unit 19B causes the display connected to the remote instruction server 10B to display the received observation data. The detour point setting unit 18B may receive an input of a determination result from a manager or the like.

In the case where the vehicle 2 is in a situation where it is possible to pass through the passing detour point by automatic driving (yes in S501), the detour point setting unit 18B cancels the setting of the passing detour point determined to be able to pass through (S502). On the other hand, if the vehicle 2 is not in a situation where it is possible to pass through the passing detour point by automatic driving (no in S502), the detour point setting unit 18B maintains the setting of the passing detour point, and ends the current process.

As described above, in the vehicle remote instruction system 100B of the present modification, based on the observation data of the passing detour point observed by the observation device 6, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point. This determination may be performed by the remote instruction server 10B or by a person such as a manager. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system 100B can appropriately cancel the setting of the passing detour point based on the actual situation of the passing detour point indicated by the observation data from the observation device 6.

In the present modification, based on the observation data of the observation device 6, the setting cancellation control unit 19B or the like of the remote instruction server 10B determines whether or not the situation is such that the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point. The observation device may determine whether or not the vehicle can pass through the passing bypassing point. Specifically, as shown in fig. 19, the observation device 6A includes an observation data acquisition unit 61, a determination unit 63, and a determination result transmission unit 64.

The determination unit 63 determines whether or not the remote autonomous vehicle 2 is in a situation where it is possible to pass through the passing detour point by autonomous driving, based on the observation data of the observation data acquisition unit 61. Here, the determination unit 63 can determine the situation by recognizing an object such as a parked vehicle at a detour point based on a known object recognition technique or the like, for example. The determination result transmitting unit 64 transmits the determination result of the determining unit 63 to the remote instruction server 10B of the remote instruction device 1B. The passing-by detour point setting unit 18B of the remote instruction server 10B can cancel the setting of the passing-by detour point based on the determination result transmitted from the observation device 6A. In this case, the setting cancellation control unit 19B of the remote instruction server 10B is not required. In this way, even when the observation device 6A determines whether or not the passing-through bypassing point can pass through, the setting of the passing-through bypassing point can be appropriately canceled.

(embodiment 2)

Next, embodiment 2 of the vehicle remote instruction system will be described. Hereinafter, a description will be given centering on differences from the vehicle remote instruction system 100 according to embodiment 1. Unlike embodiment 1, the present embodiment sets and cancels the passing point on the remote autonomous vehicle side. Then, the remote autonomous vehicle generates a target route avoiding the set passing detour point, and automatically travels based on the generated target route. Although detailed description is omitted, the vehicle remote instruction system in the present embodiment also remotely instructs the remote autonomous vehicle in the same manner as the vehicle remote instruction system 100 in embodiment 1. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the vehicle remote instruction system 100 according to embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 20 is a view showing the overall situation of the vehicle remote instruction system according to embodiment 2. The vehicle remote instruction system 100C shown in fig. 20 is a system in which a remote commander R performs remote instruction for a remote autonomous vehicle 2C. The vehicle remote instruction system 100C includes a remote instruction device 1C for inputting a remote instruction by a remote commander R. In the vehicle remote instruction system 100C, the remote commander R is requested to input a remote instruction, for example, in accordance with a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. The remote instruction device 1C transmits a remote instruction to the remote autonomous vehicle 2C through the network N. The remote automatic driving vehicle 2C automatically travels according to the remote instruction.

(construction of autonomous vehicle)

An example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle in the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. The remote automated driving vehicle 2C in the present embodiment is provided with an automated driving ECU20C instead of the automated driving ECU20 of the remote automated driving vehicle 2 in embodiment 1.

The automated driving ECU20C includes a travel track generation unit (route generation unit) 35C and a passage determination unit 38C instead of the travel track generation unit 35 and the passage determination unit 38 of the automated driving ECU20 in embodiment 1. The automated driving ECU20C further includes a remote instruction request acquisition unit (remote instruction request receiving unit) 39, a position information acquisition unit 40, a request occurrence point determination unit 41, a remote instruction reason collection unit 42, and a passing point setting unit 43.

The travel track generation unit 35C generates a target route to the destination. The travel track generation unit 35C uses the destination set by the remote instruction server 10C as the destination. The destination set by the remote instruction server 10C will be described later in detail. As described above, in embodiment 1, the travel management unit 11 of the remote instruction server 10 instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2 of the target route, whereas in the present embodiment, the remote autonomous vehicle 2C generates the target route.

The travel track generation unit 35C generates the target route based on, for example, the destination set by the remote instruction server 10C, the map information stored in the map database 24, and the position information of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C acquired by the vehicle position acquisition unit 31. In this way, the travel track generation unit 35C sets the target route based on the service using the remote autonomous vehicle 2C performed by the vehicle remote instruction system 100C, as in the travel management unit 11 according to embodiment 1.

The travel track generation unit 35C generates the target route so as not to pass through the detour point (so as not to pass through the detour point), similarly to the travel management unit 11 in embodiment 1. In this way, the travel track generation unit 35C generates a route that avoids the passing detour point as a target route (travel route) of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C based on the passing detour point and the map information. The travel locus generation unit 35C uses the passing detour point set by the passing detour point setting unit 43 as the passing detour point when the target route is generated. The setting of the passing detour point by the passing detour point setting unit 43 will be described in detail later.

Further, the travel locus generating unit 35C generates a travel locus used for the automatic driving of the remote automatic driving vehicle 2C using the generated target route, as in the travel locus generating unit 35 in embodiment 1. The automated driving control unit 36 executes automated driving of the remote automated driving vehicle 2C based on the travel locus generated by the travel locus generation unit 35C. When the remote instruction request determination unit 34 requests the remote instruction server 10C for a remote instruction during execution of the automated driving of the remote automated driving vehicle 2C in the automated driving control unit 36, remote driving based on the remote instruction from the remote commander R is executed. The map information stored in the map database 24 is set in advance as information of a point (for example, an intersection, a railroad crossing, or the like) through which a remote instruction passes.

The remote instruction request acquisition unit 39 acquires a remote instruction request transmitted from the remote instruction request determination unit 34 to the remote instruction server 10C. The acquired remote instruction requests are used for counting the frequency of instruction requests when the request occurrence point determination unit 41 determines to pass the detour point.

The position information acquisition unit 40 acquires position information of a point at which the remote instruction request determination unit 34 has transmitted the remote instruction request to the remote instruction server 10C. Here, the position information acquiring unit 40 can use the position information acquired by the vehicle position acquiring unit 31 as the position information of the point at which the remote instruction request is transmitted.

The request occurrence point determination unit 41 determines a point where the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency, based on the remote instruction request acquired by the remote instruction request acquisition unit 39 and the positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition unit 40, as in the request occurrence point determination unit 16 in embodiment 1. Here, the request occurrence point determination unit 41 also counts the number of remote instruction requests when a remote instruction request is made at the counting target point, as in the request occurrence point determination unit 16 in embodiment 1.

When a remote instruction request is made at a point to be counted, the request occurrence point determination unit 41 associates and stores a point at which the remote instruction request was made with a time at which the remote instruction request was made at the point. Here, は, when a remote instruction request is made a plurality of times at a certain location, the request occurrence location determination unit 41 stores each time when the remote instruction request is made. The request occurrence point determination unit 41 can determine, based on the information associated in this manner, a point at which the frequency of sending remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency.

However, when the predetermined frequency of the instruction requests is 1 time, the request occurrence point determination unit 41 may store the point at which the remote instruction request is made, without associating the point with the time at which the remote instruction request is made at the point. In this case, when a remote instruction request is made to a counting target location, the request occurrence location determination unit 41 can determine the location to which the remote instruction request has been transmitted as a location at which the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency.

The remote instruction reason collecting unit 42 collects the reason why the remote instruction request determining unit 34 has transmitted the remote instruction request, as in the remote instruction reason collecting unit 17 according to embodiment 1. The remote instruction reason collection unit 42 may obtain the reason based on the input of the remote commander R. In this case, for example, as described in embodiment 1, when the remote commander R performs a remote instruction in response to a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle 2C, the remote commander R confirms the status of the remote instruction target based on the image displayed on the display of the information output unit 3a and inputs the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted. The remote instruction server 10C transmits the reason input by the remote commander R to the remote autonomous vehicle 2C together with the remote instruction. Thus, the remote instruction reason collecting unit 42 can acquire the reason why the remote instruction request was transmitted from the remote instruction server 10C.

The remote instruction reason collection unit 42 may obtain a reason from the remote instruction request determination unit 34. For example, the remote instruction request determination unit 34 determines whether or not a remote instruction request is made for a remote instruction target situation for which a remote instruction should be requested. Therefore, the remote instruction reason collecting unit 42 may acquire information identifying a status of a remote instruction target for which the remote instruction request determining unit 34 determines that a remote instruction should be requested, and may cause the remote instruction request determining unit 34 to transmit a remote instruction request.

When the reason for the remote instruction request being transmitted is acquired when the remote instruction request is transmitted, the request occurrence location determination unit 41 stores the acquired reason in association with the location or the like at which the remote instruction request was made.

(by setting of detour site)

The detour point setting unit 43 sets, as the detour point of passage of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C, a point at which the frequency of transmission of the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency, based on the determination result in the request occurrence point determination unit 41, in the same manner as the detour point of passage setting unit 18 in embodiment 1. In this way, in the present embodiment, the remote autonomous vehicle 2C can set the passing detour point based on the traveling result thereof. The detour point setting unit 43 sets the position of the set detour point on the map to the map information stored in the map database 24.

The detour point setting unit 43 may transmit position information of the detour point set based on the traveling result of the vehicle (the remote autonomous vehicle 2C) to the remote instruction server 10C. In this case, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can share the position information of the passing-by detour point. Thus, the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2C can set the target route based on the passing detour point set by another remote automatically-driven vehicle in addition to the passing detour point set by itself. As described later, when the setting of the passing point is released, the bypassing point setting unit 43 may transmit the fact that the setting of the passing point is released to the remote instruction server 10C. In this case, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can also share the meaning that the setting of the passing-by detour point is canceled.

(Release of setting of detour site)

In addition, the detour point setting unit 43 can cancel the setting of the detour point, as in the detour point setting unit 18 in embodiment 1. After the setting of the passing point is released, the request occurrence point determination unit 41 can restart counting of the remote instruction request at the point where the setting of the passing point is released from 0 (zero).

The passing-by-detour point setting unit 43 cancels the setting of the passing-by-detour point when the remote autonomous vehicle 2C passes the passing-by-detour point by autonomous automatic driving. Here, the travel management unit 11C (see fig. 22) of the remote instruction server 10C can manage the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C by instructing the remote autonomous vehicle 2C of the target route and causing the remote autonomous vehicle 2C to travel along the target route by autonomous driving. Then, for example, the travel management unit 11C instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2C, which is not in a state of performing a service such as a passenger delivery, to pass through the target route passing the passing detour point, and causes the remote autonomous vehicle 2C to travel so as to pass through the passing detour point, as in the travel management unit 11 of embodiment 1. As described above, in the present embodiment, when the setting of the passing detour point is canceled, the remote instruction server 10C instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2C of the target route passing the passing detour point.

The remote automated driving vehicle 2C travels along the target route by automated driving based on an instruction from the travel management portion 11C. Here, the travel locus generation unit 35C of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C generates a travel locus based on the instructed target route. That is, here, the travel locus generation unit 35C generates a travel locus passing through the detour point. The passage determination unit 38C of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C determines whether or not the autonomous vehicle passes through the passage detour point without performing the remote instruction request. When the vehicle passes successfully, the determination unit 38C determines that the vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by the automatic driving.

The passing-by-detour point setting unit 43 cancels the setting of the passing-by-detour point when the passing determination unit 38C determines that the remote autonomous vehicle 2C can pass through the passing-by-detour point by autonomous driving. On the other hand, it is assumed that the remote autonomous vehicle 2C cannot make a remote instruction request by passing through the passing detour point by autonomous driving and passes through the passing detour point by remote driving when traveling along the target route instructed from the travel management portion 11C. In this case, the determination unit 38C determines that the vehicle cannot pass through the passing detour point by the automatic driving. The passing point setting unit 43 does not cancel the setting of the passing point.

The detour point setting unit 43 can also cancel the setting of the detour point based on an instruction from the remote instruction server 10C. Thus, the remote automatically-driven vehicle 2C can cancel the setting of the passing detour point without actually trying whether or not it can pass through the passing detour point by the automatic driving.

The notification control unit 37 can cause the display of the HMI27 to display the target route generated by the travel route generation unit 35C. The notification control unit 37 also notifies the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C of the reason why the remote instruction request is transmitted at the passing point and the target route that avoids the passing point generated by the travel locus generation unit 35C using the HMI 27. Thus, the occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C can recognize the reason for traveling along the route avoiding the passing point by checking the display of the display.

(constitution of remote indicating device)

Hereinafter, the configuration of the remote instruction device 1C according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 22, the remote instruction device 1C according to the present embodiment includes a remote instruction server 10C instead of the remote instruction server 10 of the remote instruction device 1 according to embodiment 1. Unlike the remote instruction device 1 of embodiment 1, the remote instruction device 1C does not perform processing such as setting or canceling of a detour point. Specifically, the remote instruction server 10C includes a travel management unit 11C, a remote instruction request receiving unit 12, an information providing unit 13, and a remote instruction transmitting unit 14.

When the vehicle remote instruction system 100C performs a service using the remote autonomous vehicle 2C, the travel management unit 11C instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2C to travel to a destination, thereby managing the operation of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. The travel management unit 11C instructs the destination based on, for example, a request for starting travel of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. The destination of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C and the request for the start of travel are appropriately determined, for example, in accordance with a service using the remote autonomous vehicle 2C performed by the vehicle remote instruction system 100C.

The travel management unit 11C instructs the remote autonomous vehicle 2C in a state where a service such as a passenger delivery is not performed to pass through a target route passing through the detour point, and causes the remote autonomous vehicle 2C to travel so as to pass through the detour point. Thus, as described above, the remote autonomous vehicle 2C can cancel the setting of the passing detour point based on whether or not the passing detour point has passed through the passing detour point by autonomous driving. When receiving the position information of the passing detour point set by the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2C from the remote autonomous driving vehicle 2C, the remote instruction server 10C sets the position information of the passing detour point in the map information in the map database 4. The travel management unit 11C can generate a target route passing the passing detour point based on the position information of the passing detour point of the map information set in the map database 4, and cause the remote autonomous vehicle 2C to travel so as to pass the passing detour point.

As described above, in the vehicle remote instruction system 100C, the passing detour point setting unit 43 and the like that set and cancel the passing detour point are provided in the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. In this case, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can set a point where the frequency of the remote instruction requests is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as the passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle 2C. In this way, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can suppress the occurrence of the remote instruction request when the remote autonomous vehicle 2C passes by setting the passing detour point. Thus, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can suppress the load on the remote commander R. In this manner, the vehicle remote instruction system 100C can achieve the same operational effects as the vehicle remote instruction system 100 in embodiment 1.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the vehicle remote instruction system 100 according to embodiment 1, the travel management unit 11 of the remote instruction server 10 generates a target route. Without being limited to this, the target route may be generated by the travel track generation unit 35 of the remote autonomous vehicle 2. In this case, the travel track generation unit 35 generates a target route that avoids passing around the detour point, and generates a travel track based on the generated target route, as in the case of the travel management unit 11. When the travel track generation unit 35 generates the target route, the remote autonomous vehicle 2 acquires the position information of the passing point from the remote instruction server 10, and sets the position information in the map information of the map database 24. The travel track generation unit 35 can generate the target route based on the position information of the passing detour point stored in the map database 24. The travel track generation unit 35 can also acquire position information of the destination from the remote instruction server 10C and generate a target route.

In the vehicle remote instruction system 100C according to embodiment 2, the travel track generation unit 35C sets a target route based on the destination set by the remote instruction server 10C. The travel track generation unit 35C may obtain a target route to the destination from the travel management unit 11C of the remote instruction server 10C. Further, the travel track generation unit 35C may correct the target route so as to avoid the passing detour point when the acquired target route passes the passing detour point based on the position information of the passing detour point stored in the map database 24.

The 1 st modification and the 2 nd modification of cancellation by setting of the detour point can also be applied to the vehicle remote instruction system 100C in embodiment 2. The above-described various methods for canceling the setting of the detour point may be combined as appropriate, or may be performed in parallel. The method of canceling the setting of the detour point is not limited to the above-described method. The setting of the detour point is not necessarily released by the above-described method.

In embodiment 1, the remote instruction device 1 may be mounted on a vehicle. In this case, the remote commander R also gets on the vehicle. The remote instruction server 10 may be a cloud server including ECUs of a plurality of vehicles. The same applies to other modifications and embodiments.

At least some of the above-described embodiments and various modifications may be combined as desired.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote instruction system including a remote autonomous vehicle that performs autonomous driving in which the vehicle automatically travels along a travel path set based on map information and remote driving in which the vehicle travels based on a remote instruction from a remote commander, and a remote instruction device that allows the remote commander to perform the remote instruction based on a remote instruction request from the remote autonomous vehicle, the vehicle remote instruction system comprising:

a remote instruction request receiving unit that receives the remote instruction request;

a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a point at which the remote autonomous vehicle has transmitted the remote instruction request;

a request occurrence point determination unit that determines a point at which the frequency of sending the remote instruction request is equal to or higher than a predetermined instruction request frequency, based on the remote instruction request received by the remote instruction request reception unit and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; and

and a passing detour point setting unit that sets the point at which the frequency of the remote instruction request transmitted is equal to or higher than the instruction request frequency as a passing detour point of the remote autonomous vehicle.

2. The vehicle remote indication system according to claim 1,

the vehicle control apparatus further includes a route generation unit that generates the travel route avoiding the passing detour point as the travel route of the remote autonomous vehicle based on the passing detour point set by the passing detour point setting unit and the map information.

3. The vehicle remote instruction system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a remote instruction reason collection unit that collects reasons for sending the remote instruction request; and

and a notification unit configured to notify, to an occupant of the remote autonomous vehicle, the reason for the transmission of the remote instruction request at the point set as the passing detour point, based on the reason collected by the remote instruction reason collection unit.

4. The vehicle remote indication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the passing detour point setting unit cancels the setting as the passing detour point when the situation is changed to a situation in which the remote autonomous vehicle can pass through the passing detour point by the autonomous driving.